And now it’s on to San Antonio, where I joined Carol partway through a conference. The day I arrived in San Antonio, Carol was off at a BBQ and rodeo hosted by the conference, which started too early for me to join in. So my first act after arriving in San Antonio was to drive up to the Boardwalk on Bulverde food court, a rather substantial cluster of food trucks, for some food truck action…
…and learned that sometimes I need to research things better. The Boardwalk isn’t open except Thursday through Sunday. So I had to find someplace else nearby for a food truck fix. Luckily, just over a mile away was Erick’s Tacos on nearby Nacogdoches Road, so I headed on over to check out their fare.
Arriving at Erick’s Tacos, it was immediately apparent that they’ve got the basics of a good taco stand down pat. Taco cart? Check. Spanish radio station blaring? Check. Seating area created from a repurposed automotive repair shop? Check. Agua fresca stand? Check. Having all the requisite components in place, I wandered over to the cart, and upon gazing on their nice grill filled with all sorts of meats being cooked, immediately decided on a trio of tacos.
However, I was sorely tempted by several other menu items, including burritos, cabritos, and chicharrons, but in the end, the tacos being grilled up in front of me won the day, so I ended up with one each of pollo, al pastor, and a chorizo/bistec mix.
The result of this was a solid plate of excellent tacos, with everything done right. Nice crisp on the corn tortillas, freshly chopped cilantro and onion, some good hot sauce, and a roasted pepper for good measure. The pollo and chorizo mix were top notch, having the perfect amount of marinade, crispiness, and overall flavor. I’d love to have more of these, even though my waistline already has had too much food truck action. The pastor was rather good as well, but not quite at the same level, just being “really good” instead of “excellent”.
Erick’s gets bonus points for also running a fruteria stand, with the every wonderful Mexican fruit cups, ice cream treats, and agua frescas (oh, why haven’t these caught on outside the Southwest?!). Indeed, a fresh pina agua fresca was exactly the right treat to accompany a trio of tacos in 100 degree weather (although I should note that for those wanting a larger menu, the sit down experience, and air conditioning, Erick’s also has a sit-down restaurant located right next door…).
Overall, a great taco stand with good food, great prices, and nice ambiance. Having the fruteria right there is also a plus. If I had to fault them, they’ve got little enough parking that there always seems to be some measure of parking drama going on. But I’d go back (heck, I did, later in the same trip!)
In any case, Erick’s serves up some mean tacos.
